Crystal Palace have agreed a 15m euro (£12.6m) deal in principle to sign Senegal winger Ismaila Sarr, 26, from Marseille. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Crystal Palace are targeting a move for 26-year-old Marseille and Senegal winger Ismaila Sarr. (Standard), external
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesIt isn't quiet in one specific part of the major football clubs - the acquisitions department.
I know that because I was once the acquisitions department - well me and the manager mostly. While each player returned from holidays like a bronzed Adonis, we were cooped up in a small darkened room, beavering the daylight hours away like vampires.
There is plenty of guesswork in the media and a fair bit of leaking from the players and their people, but the clubs usually try to keep their transfer moves as quiet as possible.
If word gets out that a player is available, they know they might lose him to another club or else the price will increase as a bidding war erupts.
These are high stakes games and many are impressed by those who gamble and go early.
Manchester City have always been good enough, and let's be honest wealthy enough, to be able to do this well.
The problem is that some clubs are trying to do the same thing and are ending up paying top dollar for less able players, because they haven't done their due diligence in the market.
This is another area where the use of data, or maybe over-reliance on pure data, comes into play - feed all of the numbers in, let the technology do the crunching, and out comes the answer.
The problem is that everyone else has got the same or similar data.
What is needed, of course, is good human knowledge and the vision to aid the use of the information they have got. This is why these departments should be busy just now, they shouldn't just be doing deals which are admittedly very complex legal and financial documents these days.
Even more time should be spent on ensuring the new £75m player hasn't got a hidden weakness in his game or even the odd skeleton in his closet.
Pat Nevin was writing for the BBC Football Extra Newsletter
Manchester City are looking at making a move for Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze, with the 26-year-old England international having a release clause of £60m plus add-ons. (Mirror), external
Arsenal are prepared to offer English forward Eddie Nketiah, 25, as part of a swap deal with Crystal Palace for 24-year-old England defender Marc Guehi. (Metro), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Crystal Palace are ready to bid £30m for Arsenal and England midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, 23. (Talksport), external
The Eagles have held initial talks with Marseille over signing 26-year-old Senegal winger Ismaila Sarr. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column
Crystal Palace needed a late equaliser in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Charlton.
In hot conditions, Oliver Glasner's side trailed to a Chuks Aneke goal at the break.
But Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s superb 90th-minute goal saw the spoils shared in a fixture where fitness and playing minutes took centre focus.
Summer signings Chadi Riad and Daichi Kamada featured for the Eagles, with Kamada involved in creating the late leveller.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt seems inevitable a host of Premier League managers will point to fixture congestion in the months to come.
When injuries mount, or when time on the training ground is squeezed, coaches often reference the intense nature of the calendar.
But research conducted by the respected CIES Football Observatory has delivered data which shows clubs are - on average - not playing more competitive games than they have in the last couple of decades.
The CIES looked at 677 clubs across 40 leagues. In looking at a period from 2012 to 2024, its findings show in 2023-24, the average club played 42.4 competitive matches. In 2014-15 that figure was 42.6 and in 2020-21 it hit 43.9.
And if focus is placed on sides competing in the Champions League, data gathered between 2000 and 2024 also shows sides are not setting fixture records in the current game, as some managers may like to loosely imply.
In looking at the five major European Leagues, the CIES claim Champions League competitors played an average of 50.8 matches last season.
In 2020-21 they averaged 57.9 and in 2002-03 they contested 55.2.
Manchester United played in 52 competitive games last season, down from highs of 71 in 2020-21 and 66 in 2008-09.
Across all of the clubs analysed, only 4% played more than 60 games last season. In 2012-13, the figure stood at 5.1%.
While clubs may play added friendlies and - it would be fair to say - individual matches tend to be longer given increased injury time in the current game, the data shows that competitive fixture numbers are flat or have in most cases fallen, even if disgruntled managers say otherwise.
Arsenal look set to end their interest in England defender Marc Guehi with Crystal Palace demanding more than £70m for the 24-year-old. (Mirror, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Arsenal are expecting further bids for 23-year-old midfielder Emile Smith Rowe after rejecting an offer from Fulham, with Crystal Palace also interested. (Evening Standard), external
Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesThe football never stops.
Euro 2024 has barely finished but Premier League clubs have already started turning their attention to pre-season friendlies.
The games are spread across the globe, from Tokyo and New York to Sligo and Crawley.
So who will your team face? And when and where are the matches?
Image source, PA MediaCrystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi was included in Opta's team of Euro 2024.
In what was his first ever appearance at a major international tournament, Guehi showed himself to be one of the most reliable defenders at Euro 2024. Indeed, the Palace man was one of the best developments throughout the tournament for England, and looks set to be a key part of their plans going forward.
Appearing in all but one of his team's seven games in the competition, no England player won more aerial duels (12) than the defender, while he also led the team for blocks (six).
Marc Guehi is wanted by Liverpool, who have begun negotiations to sign the 24-year-old Crystal Palace and England centre-back. (Fabrizio Romano, via GiveMeSport), external
But 20-year-old England midfielder Adam Wharton will turn down interest from Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to stay at Crystal Palace. (Sun), external
Image source, CPFCCrystal Palace have unveiled a new yellow away kit to be worn during the 2024-25 season.
The kit - titled 'Eagle Yellow' - is the first Palace strip to feature a simplified eagle-on-ball crest.
It also features an eagle within the yellow-and-blue design on the shirt.
The club said on the kit: "Eagle Yellow follows in a long tradition of yellow kits for the club over the years, with the colour first emerging in the 1960s and playing a part in some of the most memorable occasions in our history on the road."
Image source, CPFCCrystal Palace are determined not to sell winger Eberechi Eze to Manchester United or Tottenham. (Football Insider), external
Image source, Getty ImagesCrystal Palace signing Daichi Kamada says the chance to reunite with former manager Oliver Glasner was "one of the biggest reasons" for his move to Selhurst Park.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder joined the club on a free transfer after his contract at Serie A side Lazio expired but he previously worked under Glasner at Eintracht Frankfurt.
"I think one of the biggest reasons for my move is the manager Oliver Glasner, that's for sure," he told the club website, external.
"Even when I was not getting enough game-time, he always got in touch with me and sent me many messages. I could sense his trust in me through these various exchanges.
"I'm not the type of person who communicates a lot with a manager but, since we were together in Frankfurt, I think I have been able to demonstrate what he wants me to do on the pitch.
"I think he is a great figure as a manager and I also respect him as a person.
"In addition, Crystal Palace have a lot of talented players and, since Glasner took over last season, the team has been achieving good results.
"The manager told me he wants to make history with the team, so I thought this project was a great fit for me. It would be fantastic to make history with Crystal Palace, which I think is the main reason for me to come here.
"In the Premier League, I think one of the team's main objectives is to qualify for next season's European cup competition and I hope I can contribute to that. The cup competitions will be a good chance to win a trophy for Crystal Palace too.
"I understand that the fans are incredibly passionate and wonderful supporters. I'm eager to play in front of them so that they can recognise my performance. I will appreciate their support."
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer England midfielder Izzy Christiansen has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about England's central defensive options:
"I thought it was quite difficult to figure out what England's formation actually was [against Switzerland]. I'm meant to be an expert.
"In our 5 Live build-up, we spoke a lot about a back three. It actually looked more like a back four, but Kieran Trippier - who we all know is one of Gareth Southgate's most-trusted players - was playing a really high full-back role.
"I do think it will be the same formation. I think we won't see any changes apart from Marc Guehi maybe coming back in because of how brilliant he was through the start of the tournament and the group stages.
"It will be a difficult decision for him to make. I'm big on rhythm and I would play [Ezri] Konsa based on rhythm and the feeling of playing in that last game against Switzerland, but I think Guehi will come in and that will be the only change.
"I'd love to see Luke Shaw out there, but I think the impact he can have off the bench is like an insurance policy for Gareth Southgate."
Ex-England defender Matthew Upson added: "I thought Ezri Konsa was excellent. We've had a brilliant show of centre-back play from two centre-halves in Marc Guehi and Konsa.
"They are relatively new into this scene and they have been a major plus point of this tournament in a position that probably everyone looked at and thought the options were not too great.
"It is a very strong position now and Guehi did enough in those early games. He played well enough under a lot of pressure - because the team was under a lot of pressure in the first couple of matches with how things were going.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see him back [against the Netherlands on Wednesday]."
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is set to reject a new contract offer with the club, with Arsenal and Manchester United ready to compete to sign the 23-year-old. (Sun), external
Everton are confident they have beaten Palace to the signing of 22-year-old forward Jaden Philogene after striking an agreement with Hull City. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
We asked how you are feeling about Michael Olise's move to Bayern Munich and who you would like to see Crystal Palace bring in as the winger's replacement.
Here are some of your thoughts:
Pete: It has been an absolute joy watching Olise play for Palace. He will be sorely missed. We have to accept that whoever replaces him will be a downgrade. We have two in-house replacements in Matheus Franca and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, so I don't think you will see us sign anyone else as a direct replacement. The cash is likely to go towards the stadium development.
Rob: We can reflect on the end of last season when we rarely had all of our top-valued players in action, yet we were still superb as a team. At this stage in Palace's evolution, the extra cash from Olise is probably more important than keeping a player who wants to be elsewhere.
Elaine: He was too cheap. When you look at what players are being sold for nowadays, £50m is a steal. I don't know if we will ever be able to replace him, so Dougie Freedman has got his work cut out. I wish Michael all the best in his career, but he will be sorely missed.
Jamie: Olise is the first player Palace have sold since the transfer model shift in 2021. The plan is to buy young players for low fees and sell them on for a profit, but the club are yet to prove they can replace one of their young stars. It took five seasons to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, so fans will be hoping for a quick transfer they can get excited by.
Clifford: We probably could have got more for him, but without the release clause he would never have signed for us. We got him for less than he was worth from Reading, so it probably evens out. He is a fantastic player and he will only get better. I trust Dougie to get a decent and cheaper replacement to develop, but we already have Eze, Kamada, Franca and Ayew for two spots.
